Cute girls show that actually takes itself seriously? Well....anything works I guess? Who would have thought this show would work so well? This is easily one of the most surprising anime of the year! This show was a joint project between studios Studio 3Hz and Actas. This series is directed by Masaki Tachibana who is best known as the director of Barakamon. He has also worked on shows such as Flip Flappers and Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and 2nd Gig. This is his second director gig. The writing for the series is handled by Ichirō Ōkouchi who is best known for his work on the Code Geass series.
Princess Principal is one of the few CGDT shows to get something right that many of the shows of this genre don't do. What is that? Well to put it simply, its the characters and writing.
Before I jump into the meat of this review, I just wanted to explain my main complaint with CGDT (Cute Girls Doing Things) shows. My main problem with shows like these is how the characters lack depth, and there is no clear end goal. It just feels like 12 or 24 episodes of them checking off a list of anime tropes and clichés. There is no attempt to make the characters stand out besides being a whatever anime archetype they are.
Thankfully, Princess Principal is one of the few shows to get this right. A show like Princess Principal doesn't need to be just cute for their concept to work. What it does do is show you, that giving a character an episode to flush them out can pay off in the long run. We start to like the character for who she is and not because she is cute. Cute can be an aspect of liking a character, but when it is pretty much their whole character. There is nothing.
Now, let's get onto the review. I know that is what you have been waiting for. I'm happy to give you what you want. We are going to Black Lizard Planet.
Story (8 out of 10): Our story takes place in the fictional world of Albion, England. During the 20th century of the Kingdom of Albion has control and monopolized this mysterious substance. This has led to unrest among the citizens of Albion. So, a couple of years later, the Commonwealth launches an operation known as Changeling in an attempt to replace the current ruling class in power with a small group of girls. A girl that looks like the princess catches wind of their plan and offers to help them with their plans if the Commonwealth promises her that she can become Queen of the Kingdom.
The story of Princess Principal isn't an overarching plot but more so episodic plots that end up connecting later. They make sure each character gets their moments in the spotlight to shine. Mr. Ōkouchi really makes sure every character is flushed out to the best of his abilities. But he doesn't do the same for the villains of the show as they are barely around. He does a good job framing them as a threat, but they rarely cross paths with our main heroines making them seem like wasted potential.
Besides that, it also can be unfocused sometimes with focusing on things that are not important to the plot. For example, in episode 7, it feels like more of a side mission in an open world game than an actual meaningful episode to advance the plot and characters. The same can be said for some missions they go on. I am always asking myself, "What does this have to do with the plot?" Like there is one mission at the end of the series that felt out of place to me.
Overall, the story is good but lacks a good villain to oppose our girls. So, you're left with cute, interesting girls beating up grown men. I really like the beginning of the series as it serves as a good introduction to our cast. I also like the direction they went with the ending leaving it open for a season two since a season two is the only way they are going to fully realize their vision for what they want to do.
Art (9 out of 10): As stated before Studio 3Hz and Actas did the animation for this project. They both really come out swinging this time around. Actas doesn't always have the best animation, but they really surprised me here with this show. I can tell Studio 3Hz handle majority of the action scenes as each one is unique and different. I think Actas handled the big booming perspective shots. All of them were exciting and intense. So, they knew what they were doing in that department.
The character designs were done by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. Who I know from his illustration work from Kino's Journey. First off, I would like to tip my cap to Mr. Kuroboshi for his unique designs for all the female characters. He really makes every girl in the show look different. You can tell who is the oldest and youngest among our five main girls. He really gives them expressions through their clothes, that can really tell who they are as a character. He also makes sure their eyes are designed. When you look at the girls you can tell how each of them looks different. Ange’s eyes have a sharper and darker look while Beatrice’s eyes are a lighter color.
Though, I feel this is lacking when it comes to the male character designs. Every guy in the show looks bland and boring. No one really stands out even the boss of the girl has a mediocre design. The same goes for our villain. I can say overall, he really nails the 20th century Victorian London style. I think my favorite designs of the show are Ange, Dorothy, and Gazelle. So, overall, I think the artwork and animation were really good.
Characters (10 out of 10): Now onto my favorite part of this show. This show is really driven by its amazing characters. The characters of this show are nothing less than fantastic. I am talking about the main characters of course. Let's down the line and talk about how effective each of them is.
Ange: The queen of Black Lizard Planet. Ange is just a lot of fun. One of her main concepts and calling cards is her ability to lie and tell when someone is lying. She also has the ability to change her personality depending on the situation. You can never tell when she is being honest unless it involves one of the other major characters in the show. She is very laid back and is very aware of her surrounds. Ange never tells you who she is unless she uses the cover of "Black Lizard Planet" to tell someone about herself. Yes, she can use the anti-gravity machine she carries, but I feel her power to outsmart everyone around her is even better. She is the all-around member of the group if you ask me.
Beatrice: She joins the team later. She is the younger member of the group but has a very dark backstory that involves her father using her as an experiment. So, she now has a voice box. With this voice box, she is able to change her voice to match any voices she hears. This is very helpful when they’re on missions. It's a really unique ability. She isn't the best fighter of the team, but combat isn't her focus. She plays more of the role of gathering intel. I love her expression and how she really keeps herself calm when on these missions since she is the most likely to die. Great character, and really has her heart in the right place. She only joins because the person serves joins. So, she is very loyal.
Chise: Up next is the only Japanese member of the group. Oh, I forgot to mention everyone is British in this show. Anyway, Chise is the samurai of the group. She is the main the hand to hand fighter of the group. So, she takes care of any bad guys that get close. Her character reminds of a rule 63 loli Goemon. That doesn't mean she is bad. Her backstory in her first episode it was okay. The other episode she got was really cool. I do wish they went more into the reckless side of her. Overall, she is just a solid character being the typical samurai. Her costume is really cool.
Dorothy: Now time to talk about my favorite character of the show! Dorothy is the femme fatale of the group while also being the leader. She is the most level-headed of the girls and is cool under pressure. Dorothy never really does enough to much of a whore. She knows how to use her body right. She really plays the role of the femme fatale. Dorothy is very sexy and a very strong female character. She always knows what to do. Her backstory is not a bad angle with her being abused by her father either. IT tells you Dorothy never always had it figure out. Her real name is Daisy. She changed it to Dorothy. In her episode, you really got to see how she became the strong and powerful woman she is today. It's very well done.
Princess: The last member of this group and one of the most interesting. She is the public figure of the group. Princess is also the only reason Beatrice joined the team. She is the only one that can freely move around without having to hide her image. Princess is the most inexperienced in being a spy (same goes for Beatrice) but she proves to be very clever. She isn't one for combat, so just like Beatrice and a little bit of Ange. Her best ability is to be able to outsmart her foes. Now there is a huge plot twist involving her and Ange that I won't spoil, but I will say it was amazing and really will make you like Princess and Ange even more.
Lastly, I want to talk about Gazelle. I really wanted to see more of her because I felt she could have been a good foe for the girls. When she is on the screen she is really making her presence known. She is evil and very brutal. Episode six is one of the best examples of her being outright brutal to someone. She along with the other guy really needed more screen time. I hope they get more in a second season. I do think she has a great design though.
Sound (9 out of 10: The opening theme is solid getting that spy theme perfect, but I feel the ED really nails the moe factor with a cute upbeat song with some really good animation. I also felt the voice acting all over was solid. I felt the voice actors really did a good job of being the characters than just being an archetype. I think the strongest performances of the show were Ange and Dorothy if you ask me. Lastly, I felt the sound effects for the guns and explosions were nice and didn't feel stock. So, I feel the show has some good sound design.
Overall (9 out of 10): Princess Principal is easily one of the most underrated shows of the year. This show was such a treat to watch. I really like how they made the character the center focus, and we could take what they're doing seriously. This wasn't cute girls playing Kickball. These young girls working deep undercover as spies and acting like spies. I highly recommend shows for anyone who is a huge Lupin the Third fan and those that have wanted more depth when it comes to moe shows.
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